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Health & Fitness

9 Things To Do For a Lucky 2013

By following some traditions you can welcome in love, call in money and bring joy and harmony to your entire family in 2013.

We are very fortunate, we always get two chances to do New Year's Day right and set a good tone for the year.

Our first shot at New Year's Day is, Tuesday, Jan. 1, and the other on Chinese New Year, Sunday, Feb. 10. By following some traditions you can welcome in love, call in money and bring joy, and harmony to your entire family.

Here are some things to do before or on New Year's Day:

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Give the house a good cleaning. Sweep away dirt and dust from your porch and/or walkway. Sweep out every corner of the house. Clean the kitchen, polish doorknobs and dust drapery. As you sweep visualize bad luck being swept away. And you can chuck all the bad experiences and troubles from 2012 right in the dust bin.

Tradition says that all debts should be paid by the time of the New Year and while this is a great sentiment it's not always possible in the current economic climate. But it is wise to lend nothing and borrow nothing on New Year's Day otherwise you'll be lending and borrowing all year long. If someone wants to borrow something from you on New Year's day ask if they can wait a day. If you need to purchase something try to use cash so you're not “borrowing” money by using a credit card. What you do on New Year's Day sets the energy for the whole year.

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Hang up some “lucky papers” with declarations of good wishes. Author, Rosemary Gong, suggests taking pieces of paper and writing auspicious words like, “happiness”, “wealth”, “prosperity”, “longevity”, etc. and hanging these papers throughout the house on New Year's Eve. Leave them up all through New Year's Day. Be creative with your “lucky papers”, hang “expanding business” in your home office, “good health” on your bathroom mirror, or “restful sleep” in your bedroom.

To open the door to love strew fresh chopped dill on your doorstep and porch before New Year's Eve. Dill is an herb long associated with love. Its strong scent will call love with every step. When Spring comes add dill to your garden near the front door. This will help your relationships grow and flourish.

To attract prosperity at this time of year consider burning Bayberry Candles. The deep, rich scent of bayberry is said to attract money. If you don't feel comfortable burning candles in the house then get some bayberry oil and put a few drops on cottonballs and place them in several corners of the room.

Wear red on New Year's Eve. Red is considered the luckiest of colors. It's known to bring good fortune. But there's more to it that just tradition. In many scientific studies people wearing red tend to win more often in sports and physical contests, red on a desk causes quicker and better decision making and women wearing red are seen as more attractive.

Get some Tangerines. The Chinese word for tangerine sounds like the word for “luck” so a bowl of tangerines on the dining room table or in the kitchen symbolizes a lucky new year. Get the fruit with a leaf attached and it symbolizes “new life” which could bring an addition to the family or more money to the household.

Find and wear a piece of Jade. Jade is the stone of longevity and good luck. You can choose the health-filled green jade or the powerful purple jade. It can be in the form of a ring, pendant or bracelet. And if you're not into wearing jewelry just carry a polished jade stone in your pocket.

No matter how much you enjoyed the party the night before and no matter now much your head hurts the morning of New Year's Day make a point to get up and dress in your good clothes. It's said how you start this day will be carried through out the new year.

Happy New Year.

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